Downs, The

Downs, The, roadstead, c.8 mi (13 km) long and 6 mi (9.7 km) wide, between North Foreland and South Foreland, off Deal, Kent, SE England, in the English Channel. It is protected, except from strong south winds, by the Goodwin Sands and the coast. Two naval battles were fought nearby—between the Dutch and the Spanish in 1639 and between the British and the French in 1666 (see Dutch Wars).